Kudoke White Flower Ladies Watch

An aspiring German watchmaker Stefan Kudoke (the 30-something prodigy who presented last year his gorgeous KudOktopus Skeleton model) will use the upcoming Baselworld 2012 event as an opportunity to show-off his new Kudoke White Flower self-winding ladies watch. Although this time the German artisan doesn’t surprise us with tastefully executed skeletonization job, the watch still deserves some attention thanks to its beautiful dial, which is decorated with rare relief engraving technique.

Crafted from solid sterling silver, the face of the watch features five rhodium-plated (possibly, buttercup) flowers and three Arabic numerals that are not cut into, but rather “raised” from the surface of the dial.

The “floral” motif is further enhanced with a pair of hours and minutes hands that are crafted from blued steel in a shape of leaf. The central seconds hand, which is also blued, sports a more traditional shape.

Like many other timekeepers designed for women, this model features eight white diamonds that serve as hour markers and effectively blend into the monochromatic color scheme of the dial.

The watch is powered by an unspecified automatic movement*, which is encased in a rather large stainless steel body of classic design with a prominent bezel and case back cover and a slightly thinner middle part.

Whole 38 millimeters in diameter, the watch is definitely big, but that was probably done so on purpose in order to give the decorative elements on the dial more breathing space. Also, a larger diameter allows not only for a more proportional body, but also for a bigger winding/setting crown that makes it easier to operate the mechanism.

I couldn’t find any information regarding the timekeeper’s estimated price, but it probably will be quite expensive, since this work of art will clearly be produced in small numbers: hundreds, maybe even dozens per year.

* UPDATE ON MOVEMENT: According to official specs that were disseminated some time after the model was first announced, the mechanism is built on 25 jewels, has rather standard dimensions of 25.6 x 4.6 millimeters, features power reserve of 38 hours, and is equipped with a Nivarox spring. From where I stand, this looks pretty much like your average ETA 2824-2 self-winding caliber, which seems to be more than adequate for a watch that is primarily a showcase for the watchmaker’s engraving prowess. It, by the way, is also equipped with a hand-engraved oscillating weight that, with its skillfully engraved flower motif, too, looks as impressive as the dial.